We walked in from after-school errands.

She looked around and pointed at things that she wanted to improve in our home.

Her – “I want that nice. I think we should replace that.”

Me – “How about you start with your room?”

Her – “But what about soccer practice?”

Interesting how she suddenly was conscious of time and soccer.

Me – “We have a good hour.”

She set out to clean but would quickly lose focus. I’d ask, she’d focus for a moment and then veer off into playing. At one point, I caught her singing, “Happy Birthday to you…” in a show tune style and prancing around her bathroom like she was on a stage.

Me – “Bellina, get cleaning. I’ve only asked you five times.”

Her – “Well, I’m a singer and a dancer. Never forget that.”

Me – “What about a cleaner?”

Her – “No. That’s not me.”

So, this was going to be one of those cleaning episodes. Okay. “Well, at least she has some clarity on what lights her up in life” I told myself. I took solace in that parenting satisfaction as I readied myself for the effort to keep her focused.

It all worked out.

We left for soccer practice with her still singing and her room clean.